New Mac - Many IK instruments and fx. Libraries on external.

[DizziDeCazz]

Hi,

I'm setting up my new Mac. I have many IK products. I have my sound libraries on an external SSD. Looking at forums I find answers to one-off questions but not a comprehensive answer to how it should work.

At the moment I have ST4 (various incarnations) Syntronik 1&2. I see various instrument and library folders in subfolders. There's 'Library Info' folders and 'Library Resources' folders with many identical files.

There's .pak, .st4i and .dmg files everywhere.

I also have man AmpliTube 4 & 5, ARC, and many T-Racks plugins..

My questions:
- What should a neat and clean install look like?
Can I just put all my content in one folder and if so, what would that include?
- Where I have multiple iterations of a program do I need to keep them.
- ST 4 CS and ST 4
-(Why do I see a ST 3 contents folder though I don't have ST 3?)
- Syntronik, Syntronik Deluxe (as well as each instrument does), Syntronik 2?
- Custom Shop

I'm leaning towards starting from a clean install even though I have to pay to access my content to re-download what I do have locally. If I did this approach is the best way,
-Remove everything, apps content... the lot.
-Install ST4 only.
-Relocate ST content folders to external HDD, (trigger IK PM to recognise the library location).
-Open ST4 desktop app and redirect to the new location
-Install llatteest app versions only (AmpliTube 5, Synronik 2 etc...)
-Install sounds starting with bundles.

Setting content location in IKPM prior to any installs would make this soooooo much simpler. Just like the other companies do. As would the Library mangers in each app being able to search within sub-folders so at the very least I only need to point to my top level off line library folder.

[DarkStar]

Hello DizziDeCazz and welcome to the forum.

A1 Install all the software onto the system disk, install all the sounds libraries (St4, Syn2, SampleTron 2, MP2 etc) onto a separate disk. all within one folder (I use L:/IK Multimedia/...).

A2 I think that the libraries supplied with the "CS" editions are sub-sets of the full libraries, so there is no need to install them. The software is the same in all editions - the various serial numbers control what can be done with the software and libraries.

A3 Don't know.

A guide to the folder hierarchy is here:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/index.php?id=1235
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/index.php?id=1239

[DizziDeCazz]

Thanks Darkstar.

I went ahead with a clean install but managed to find and use most of my previously downloaded sound pack installers and put them where needed. The IKPM was smart enough to recognise they were already there. That saved me lots of downloading.

The mistake I made in a previous install was using the same external drive location for both the downloads and content.

I think some of how they structure files is messy though. I had quite a few Syntronik packs before I purchased the deluxe bundle and how you purchase something affects where they get stored which I think is messy. The bundle still downloads individual installer files for each synth so why structure them differently?

Something else that would have saved me a lot of trouble would be if IKPM could better scan a directory and subfolder for the installers and previously downloaded stuff so you could point it to a higher level folder telling it, they're in there somewhere.

Though all said and done, I now have a neat install.

[DarkStar]

Good oh